Mail-rack.



J. G. KINSMAN.

MAIL RACK.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.14.1909.

925,347; Patented June 15, 1909.

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JOHN G. KINSMAN OF MANAWA, WISCONSIN.

MAIL-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ".Tun'e'15, 1909.

Application filed April 14, 1909. Serial No. 489,807.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. KINsMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Manawa, in the county of Vaupaca and State of W isconsin,have invented a new and useful Mail-Rack, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to racks for use particularly by carriersemployed for delivering mail in rural districts.

The postal regulations require that carriers, before leaving thedistributing oflices, shall arrange the mail in such a manner as toenable it to be promptly and accurately delivered, it being alsonecessary to route together mail of the first, second, third and:i'ourth classes for each patron and in the order in which therespective boxes along the route are reached. In order to meet theserequirements it has been customary to assert the mail in pigeon-holesand subsequently tie it together by means of a strap. This however hasbeen found undesirable because of the di'i'liculty of obtaining promptaccess to the mail belonging to any one patron without danger ofdisarranging all of the other mail contained within the package.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple form of rackin which the mail, after being assorted, can be placed and firmly held,the mail for the first patron on the route being arranged at the top,and the mail belonging to the other patrons being disposed in the orderin which the boxes are reached.

Another object is to provide a device 01' this character which firmlyholds the mail after any portion of it has been removed and without thenecessity of adjusting any of the parts, the holding means beingdesigned to automatically bind upon the stacked mail irrespective of thequantity thereof within the rack.

A further object is to provide a rack of, this type which is simple inconstruction, durable and efficient and will occupy the minimum amount01' space within a vehicle.

W'ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter morefully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which is a perspective view 01' the device,the preferred form 01 the invention has been shown.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference 1 designates a basehaving upstanding U-shaped holders 2 thereon disposed in parallelrelation, the terminals of each holder diverging as indicated at 3 so asto permit articles of mail to be readily inserted between them. Theholders are so arranged that each article of mail will project into bothof them.

Hingedly connected to one end portion of the base 1 and extendingupwardly there from is a supporting strip 4 the upper end of which ispreferably forked as indicated at 5 so as to receive one end of an arm 6which is pivotally mounted therein, the other end of the arm beingenlarged to constitute a presser head 7 disposed between the holders 2and designed to rest upon the articles of mail contained within theholders. A coiled spring 8 is secured at its ends to the arm 6 and. thestrip 4 respectively, and another spring 9 is secured to said strip 4and to the base 1 at a point between the strip and the holders. Thespring 9 serves to hold the strip 4 normally drawn in the direction ofthe holders, the movement of the strip in this direction being limitedby the square lower end 10 of the strip 4 which is designed to rest uponthe base 1. The spring 8 exerts a constant downward pull upon the arm 6so as to press the head 7 constantly upon the mail contained within thedevice.

In using the rack herein described the carrier places together the mailof all classes intended for each patron and routes the mail,

1 and then places it within the holders 2 so that the mail intended forthe box approached by him is always at the top of the stack. The head 7is shifted downwardly into the notch 11 which is formed. in the base andwill be held. in engagement with one wall of the notch by the springs 8and. 9. After the mail has been placed within the holders 2 the arm 6 iselevated so as to bring the head 7 above the stack of mail and thespring 8 draws the arm downwardly and clamps the head 7 upon the stackof mail so as to firmly hold it in place. When the mail intended for thefirst box along the route is removed from the top of the rack the head 7will move downwardly automatically into contact with the top of theremaining portion of the stack, and therefore it will be seen that themail is constantly held firmly at all times without the necessity ofadjusting any of the parts, as, for example, where a strap is used fortying the mail together.

The device is very simple in construction and compact, and Will nottherefore occupy an undesirable amount of room Within a vehicle, norwill it be diflicult to carry should the carrier be mounted uponhorseback.

Obviously various changes may be made in the construction andarrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit orsacrificing the advantages of the invention.

hat is claimed is 1. A device of the class described comprising spacedmail-holding members, a mail pressing device there-between, and separatemeans for automatically producing longitudinal and swinging movement ofsaid device to bear upon mail stacks of different heights.

2. A device of the class described comprising a mail-holding member, apivoted pressing device for bearing upon mail contained within theholder, a swinging support for the pivot and separate elastic means foractuating the support and the pressing device.

3. A device of the class described comprising a mail-holding member, aspring-controlled pivoted support adjacent thereto, a pressing memberpivotally connected to the support and a controlling spring for saidmember.

l. A device of the class described compris ing a base, spacedmail-holding members thereon, a pivoted support upon the base, apressing device movably connected to the support, and separate means forcontrolling the movements of the support and pressing device.

5. A device of the class described comprising a base, spacedmail-holding members .ing a base, spaced U-shaped thereon, a supportpivotally mounted on the base, a mail pressing device pivotallyconnected. to the support and extending between the members, andseparate elastic means for controlling the movements of the support andpressing device.

6. In a device of the class described a base, spaced mail-holdingmembers thereon, a sup port hingedly connected to the base andupstanding therefrom, a pressing device pivotally connected to thesupport, an elastic connection between said support and the pressingdevice, and an elastic connection between the support and the base.

7. A device of the class described comprising a base, spaced U-shapedmail-holding members upstanding from the base, the terminals of saidmembers diverging, and stackpressing means extending between themembers.

8. A devi e of the class described comprismail-holding membersupstanding from the base, the terminals of said members diverging, andstackpressing means extending between the members and mounted. forlongitudinal and swinging movement relative to a stack, and means forautomatically adjusting said device to stacks of dii'lerent heights.

7 In testimony that I. claim. the foregoing as my own, I have heretoafliXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN C. KINSMAN.

Vitnesses B. F. STRONG, T. GARRITY.

